Mevi pushed past the scene on the main deck, knowing her newly forged determination would likely shatter the moment she fully saw Ouapi. Choosing instead to lead the group down into the depths of the ship. The elevator was nothing but a sparking broken mess, so she began towards a service hatch she remembered the crew using during their introductions. Before she could begin climbing down the dark ladder, Zelkan stopped her, “My lady, we don’t know what could be down there or how dangerous it is. Please have the sentinel go forward first.” he asked, a hand placed on her shoulder gently.
Mevi hesitated, not wanting to stay on the main deck for any longer than necessary, “Sentinel?” She asked, still unsure.
The massive warrior knew her wish without her needing to speak it. Leading the way down the hatch, the heavy clanks of metal boot against metal rungs and hard plating echoed loud as the warrior’s bulk pressed against the ladder. It descended without issue, but from the top Mevi could see it carefully staring into the dark below as it stood at the base of the ladder. Mevi wondered what it could see down there, and why it was taking so long to confirm its safety. After a few more moments, the Sentinel finally looked back up to Mevi and silently reached a hand up; this was probably its confirmation to come down.
Mevi climbed down the ladder, using the Sentinel’s offered hand to further steady herself on the greasy metal bars and rungs. The rest of her retinue joined her in the dark below. Above, some little light was let in from fires and sparks, below only Mevi’s jewel offered any light. She willed the thing to shed its aid across the dark, as even her eyes struggled in the complete dark the lower deck found itself in.
Light shed across the space, revealing the complete chaos that had wreaked havoc on the lower deck. Even worse than the main deck, this place was nothing but piles of rubble, broken cargo, metal spikes erupting out of the walls, and broken hull. In some parts large jetting rocks even punctured the bottom of the hull like the ship had crashed against a sharp mountain and got itself stuck. The sharp metal breaks and stoney punctures made the place reminiscent of the Undercity, like a dark cavern that housed who knows what type of monstrosity waiting among the shadows.
Just as Mevi had the thought of some unknown beast attacking from the dark, a shout rang out further into the lower deck. A cry of pain, a man shouted loudly; someone was still alive! Mevi thought, a little hope returning to the light of her gemstone. Mevi looked at the Sentinel and it knew she would move forward with or without it, so leading the way the Sentinel cleared a path through the rubble and debris. Shoving aside fallen technology and tangled wires to make a path mostly traversable. The lower deck seemed more skewed than the main deck, it bent forward at a noticeable angle that made stumbling easy and one wrong move could make you roll until you hit something. The Sentinel led them down this decline, making sure to pace itself and stay within arm’s reach of Mevi as she struggled to stay upright.
As the group finally conquered the terrain and made it to the end of the ship that should have been the bridge, another shout echoed out; obviously originating from within the bridge itself. The Sentinel didn’t hesitate, it seemed to know they were here to find the source of the yell and help them, it moved to the door and tried to open it normally. When that failed it simply ripped the door off its hinges. It took several strong yanks, each one resulting in metal buckling and latches breaking, but by the fourth yank the door broke free and revealed the interior.
Inside a single red light shone just enough light to outline the room. What once was barely dim suddenly flooded with the bright light of Mevi’s jewel, an audible flinch, “Aagh!” was heard from inside in response to the sudden light. The bridge was a mess, earth and ground pierced the interior from a hole in the hull tearing open more than half the bridge. Laying in the middle of the bridge was a large metal beam that somehow broke free of the ceiling, crashed through the walling, and now lay collapsed across a struggling person’s legs. Besides the obvious, two others seemed alive. A man was struggling to lift or move the beam off the legs of their friend, while captain Laer’kin leaned against a control panel and struggled against gravity; somehow his left arm was hewn clean off with the stump bound tightly with scrap cloth dyed red with blood, and his left leg seemed crumpled and bent in a way that looked completely broken. Turning to the intruders, Laer’kin let out a heavy sigh of relief, “My lady! I am so glad to see you safe! We are trying to handle the situation, please return to your-”
Mevi cut him off, “Sentinel, please help that man.” Mevi directed at the man pinned under the metal beam, “Captain, I understand your worry but we need to work together. We are here to help.”
“Please my lady, I couldn’t let you risk or strain yourself!” he pleaded.
“Captain, we aren’t in a situation where we can remember the ranks and etiquette of the Holy Barge. Please, allow us to help.” Mevi said firmly.
The Sentinel moved into the bridge, easily lifting the metal beam off the legs of the pinned crewman. The Captain watched and slowly realized she was right, protocol, etiquette, rank, status, and everything else; nothing mattered right now. Hesitating, but straightening with confidence, the captain asked, “My lady… I feel I could direct our efforts best, would you give me permission to use your retinue?”
“Of course. Please, just keep in mind everyone’s safety.” Mevi replied, cautiously scanning the chaos of the bridge.
“Thank you, my lady. Technician Saerin, I am aware you have some knowledge in medicine and surgery. We have one still-functioning fabricator with a built in synthesizer further back in the cargo hold according to scanners, please take Acolyte Tzark and requisition as many medical supplies and implements as possible; anything you think would be useful to treating the wounded and survival in an unknown jungle environment, preferably any vaccines and counteragents for poison and all-purpose antivenoms if you know of any.”
“Of course, I have memorized enough formulae to stock this entire ship of medicines!” Saerin replied, quickly leaving after the only mobile acolyte had ensured the safety of their wounded friend.
“Chief Attendant, Zelkan, I am aware you have some familiarity with technology?”
“Yes, I have a broad understanding of most devices, even some brief piloting training.” Replied Zelkan.
“Good, I need someone to help me operate these controls. The auto repair is going haywire, engines are shot, and who knows what else is going wrong due to computer incompliance. Begin fixing the code and redirecting mechanical pathways manually as best you can.” Commanded the captain, gaining more confidence with each declaration.
“Of course.” Zelkan said, looking briefly at Mevi before rushing to a terminal.
“Finally… Hellion, I read you survived in the Undercity and have experience with military affairs. I need you to scout the perimeter and check for damage or obstacles our scanners can’t see. It might be dangerous.”
“Danger? Ha! You came to the right man. I’ll get everythin’ checked out!” Hellion said confidently, giving Mevi a wink before returning back to the main deck.
“My lady…” the captain hesitated, “Our scanners cannot penetrate the protections around the reactor in their current state. I need your sentinel to check on its status personally, but the radiation… It could damage it.”
Mevi looked towards the Sentinel, it having finished rescuing the trapped and hurt crewman, “Sentinel?” It looked to its mistress instantly, “Can you safely investigate the reactor?” Mevi asked.
Without any further words the Sentinel simply began to walk back out to the cargo bay of the lower deck behind them. Heading towards the reactor, Mevi could only hope there weren’t any real dangers; for anymore of her companions to get hurt would risk fully breaking Mevi. She worried about the dangerous tasks ahead, but even she could tell their necessity in such a precarious situation. Finally the captain turned to Mevi, “My lady, I know you commanded me to enlist your help… But we cannot perform our duties if we worry about your safety. Our minds would be most at ease if you are close at hand. Please, if you don’t mind, attend to Acolyte Tanaka.” Laer’kin looked in the direction of the wounded man, who was still groaning in pain despite being freed from the obstacle.
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Mevi begrudgingly agreed, she couldn’t think of any way she could help in this situation and would just get in the way. So moving to the injured man, Mevi tried to help him get more comfortable. Not wanting to risk hurting him further, and cautious from the state of his legs, she couldn’t do much for him besides clear the rocks and rubble away so he could lay down in relative peace. He groaned and squirmed, but his legs were completely still and imobile. Reaching up to grab Mevi’s arm, his hands were bloody and his face was cut and bleeding enough to blind him. “Kami… Is that you?” he asked.
“I'm sorry, I don’t know who that is, my name is Mevare.” Mevi said gently.
“Where is Kami? I can’t see her, where did she go?” the man tried to look around as he squirmed and quaked.
“I don’t know where she is…” Mevi looked briefly at Laer’kin for advice, but he simply shook his head sullenly, “When you get better we can look for her together.”
“Oh Kami… Where did you go?” his voice trailed off, and he seemed to finally fall unconscious.
Saerin was nowhere to be seen, and Mevi didn’t know what to do to help the wounded man. Without any direction she sat next to him and allowed the man to rest his head on her lap, she tried to clean the wounds on his head with her robes as best she could. Deep gashes on the right side of his face and across his forehead, a sharp cut penetrated into his right eye that looked like it would be permanent. He breathed fitfully, coughing even in his sleep, but he could barely move due to his injuries and mostly stayed put.
It wasn’t long until the acolyte that went with Saerin returned, bearing bundles of medical equipment and medicines. Tzark, the acolyte, briefly worried over the blood covering Mevi so suddenly, but she brushed his concerns aside. This man, Tanaka, needed the attention and care not her. The thought of this man, of all the crew, having fought for their lives and struggling to fix the ship even as it crashed made her strangely proud of them. Yet her own faults reared their head amongst her budding affection towards the crew who tried so hard to protect and transport her. Mevi couldn’t help but think about how hard everyone had been working, how much they struggled and fought, all while she was safely put away from danger and had been asleep until after the crash. If all she could do was be a cushion and comfort for a hurt crewman, she would do this to the best of her ability.
Saerin eventually returned, Tzark having begun basic triage for the wounded and bleeding Tanaka. Saerin didn’t bring up Mevi’s bloody clothes, nor did she question her decision to sit with and comfort the wounded, instead she worked immediately. Watching Saerin work was mesmerizing. Her hands were so swift it was difficult to see if she was setting bones, stitching cuts, or injecting medicine. Yet she quickly bandaged and stitched Tanaka back together, splinting his legs and cleaning his deeper wounds with precision. The man quickly slept quieter, with the aid of whatever medicine Saerin gave him.
Briefly after Saerin finished her work, captain Laer’kin suddenly bent over clutching his head in pain. Saerin’s other patient needed attention, but as Saerin ran over to the captain and tried to fix his bandages he pushed her away. “Don’t mind me. Already wrapped myself up as best i’ll be…” Laer’kin winced again suddenly, “That thing sure talks a lot huh?” he mumbled.
“Captain, you need to have these wounds cleaned and you should be medicated.” Saerin insisted, “I have no idea how you're still standing in all honesty.”
“Fine as long as you can patch me up while I work, do whatever you want.” Laer’kin turned briefly to Mevi, “Your sentinel has finished investigating the reactor. All seems mostly in order, automatic repairs have begun and the damage to the hull around the reactor is aparently already mended.” Laer’kin reported, wincing through the pain of Saerin’s treatments.
“That sounds like good news. Is the Sentinel safe too?” Mevi asked.
“It looks like the thing didn’t sustain any permanent damage, it was only in there for a minute or two, so it’ll fix itself up quickly enough- gaah!” Laer’kin’s leg jolted after Saerin’s latest medication was injected, “Woman!” he suddenly snapped, “I apologize… Please refrain from any invasive surgery, you can do that later if needed.”
“I haven’t even begun any real treatments, your leg is under so much stress from multiple fractures, two breaks, and your foot is all but mush! If you don’t lay down soon and let me fix this, it'll need to be amputated.” Saerin complained, ignoring his protests and continuing her own work.
The two grumbled against each other as the Sentinel reentered the bridge. It stared for a few moments at Mevi, maybe analyzing the blood newly coating her robes and checking for wounds, but quickly fully approached. Her shadow was once more sanding by her side, but she didn’t feel any better as the incredible situation still pressured her greatly.
Zelkan, Laer’kin, and Tzark each worked diligently on the still-functional terminals, trying to reestablish power and focus the ship’s automatic repair systems. As time clawed by, Mevi became worried that Hellion hadn’t returned yet. The captain had sent Hellion out on his own, so Mevi had hoped it was a simple task to look around the ship and come back, but as the minutes dragged along her worry gained more and more traction. Even Saerin was looking towards the bridge door every once in a while, like she also expected Hellion should return soon. Mevi was moments from standing up and insisting they send out a search party when Hellion finally burst through the door. “Have I got a treat for us!” Hellion suddenly yelled as he entered the bridge.
Everyone jumped, besides the Sentinel, startled by the sudden entrance, “What’s wrong with you man?” Laer’kin demanded, “Our ship doctor is performing delicate, and painful, procedures here!”
“Don’t be so dramatic, all I am doing is minor splinting and tissue repair. You are more of a baby than you made yourself seem earlier.” Saerin rebutted.
“Well, not to distract y’all, but I went ‘an found somethin’!” Hellion insisted.
“We are busy, get on with it if it is something significant.” Zelkan said, mostly ignoring the posturing.
“Well the mood in ‘ere is mighty awful… I’m hopeful what I went and found will lighten up this-here band of ‘unfortunates’.” Hellion paused for suspense, “I found…” he paused again, “A river!”
Silence deafened the room. Those working paused their vital tasks just to bask in the… absurdity of his declaration. Saerin let out a heavy sigh, and Zelkan couldn’t help but hang his head for a moment. “What’s with ‘ur sigh’in? A river is useful!” Hellion defended himself.
“I won’t disagree, with our current power levels it would be important to preserve resources as best we can…” Laer’kin began, “But we really have other things to worry about.”
“Exactly! Now we got one thing off the list!” Hellion said proudly.
“You know I was worried about you for a few minutes! I would like those minutes off my lifespan back please.” Saerin teased.
“Oh? Worried ‘bout little ol’ me? Well, ‘sides the river I did spot a lot of other things ‘round ‘ere.”
“Please give us your report, we don’t have time to dawdle.” Laer’kin requested firmly.
“So, for starters, we’re in a forest!” everyone sighed heavily after Hellion’s attempted joke. “For real tho’, the forest is big. Those trees block any light that might get in. The bushes ‘n littler plants are nothing to laugh at neither. Big ol’ shrooms ‘n flowers or some such.” Hellion took out something he had stored in his robes. “Somethin’ walkin’ ‘round out there’s big too.” He produced what looked like a large rock, a sharp and jagged rock on one side that had specks of red ichor at the base. The rock was easily the size of Hellion’s fist, maybe twice as big. “Somethin’ ‘round here is big, and left a big mess outside…”
Mevi’s mind shot back to the visions of the dead found so far, her anxiety got the better of her and she couldn’t help asking, “What kind of mess..?”
Hellion hesitated for a second, “Looks like whatever this belonged to liked meat. Big ol’ pile of gore outside from somethin’ that was bigger than a speeder.” Hellion explained.
The revelation startled Mevi. If she knew what a speeder was, that would be as big as the shuttle her and her companions took to the royal docks. Something bigger than six people, not to mention the room between and around to fit those people, a creature that size sounded like a monster straight from the Bensari archives. A creature only talked about in whispers or to scare children, the creatures that supposedly inhabited the planet her moon-colony orbited. A creature like straight out of myth and legend was near their crash site so recently? “That’s not all.” Hellion began again, “Since we’re near a river, that’ll draw in all kinds of trouble. Beast ‘n critters’ll show up from all around after not long I’d guess. Both to drink from the river, ‘n to check out the ship…” He paused for a moment, thinking about his next words carefully, “The bodies will just attract ‘em faster… We might need to burn ‘em soon, else that big critter might show up.”
“Burn..?” Mevi mumbled, horrid thoughts flitting across her mind.
“You would suggest such a blasphemous act, Hellion?” demanded Zelkan, “You would forgo our rights and the traditions of our lords?”
“Not to point out the obvious, but we ain’t got much a choice. We can’t perform a ceremony, and we certainly don’t got anywhere to put em. Ship’s in ruins and just strugglin’ to put itself back together.” Hellion retorted, sounding almost frustrated.
“But to suggest burning…”
“I regretfully…” Laer’kin interrupted, “I think I must agree with Hellion. Our preliminary reports suggest intense density of fauna, many of which seemed to register as possible megafauna. If even a small percent of the creatures detected through the fleet’s scans are carnivorous…” Laer’kin let the train of thought trail off, everyone knowing what he meant without the necessity for words.
Zelkan turned back to the panel he worked, deciding to focus on what was in front of him, but his rigid and sharp movements betrayed his own frustration and disapproval. The group was quiet again, Mevi wasn’t sure what a proper funeral should be but even she thought the idea of burning corpses was brutal. Laer’kin slowly got back to his own work, but the tension remained in the air like a stranglehold.
Almost as if it had been waiting for its moment to interrupt the group’s dreading, a loud cracking and tearing sound echoed from somewhere. Its volume was such that it felt right outside the door of the bridge. The terrible noise was some part mountainous rumble and another part like high-pitched tearing metal; and it was unmistakably a call of some monstrous creature. The yelling call had managed to clearly echo from far outside and into the bowels of the ship, reaching all the way to the secluded bridge in the lower deck. The Sentinel sprang in front of the group to block the doorway before anyone realized what the incredible call could even represent, but its intent was clear; something was coming.